There’s no questioning the fact that James Harden is one of the game’s elite offensive players, one who has proven capable of scoring in a variety of ways — both in the paint, and from well beyond three-point distance.

It’s another story entirely on the defensive end of the floor, but evidently, Harden wasn’t taking that into consideration when making a statement about his current place among the league’s top players.

The entire interview is worth checking out, because for the most part, Harden comes across as being appropriately humble, and goes on to say some honest things. His confidence comes from having a tremendous work ethic, and putting that time in consistently — which makes his initial statement at least a little bit less absurd.